Before Starting
MTX recommends that you have your new Thunder amplifi ers installed by an authorized MTX retailer, preferably
MECP certifi ed. If you do decide to do it yourself, make sure you have read the instructions carefully and have
the following tools:
• Electric drill
• Phillips bit or screwdriver
• 1/8” bit
• Wire cutters/crimpers
• Safety glasses
• X-Acto knife
• VOM
Disconnect the vehicle’s negative battery connection. Any deviation from the recommended connection
procedures may cause serious damage to the amplifi er, speakers, and/or vehicle electrical system. Please
double check the connections before turning the system on.
Installation
Mounting
Place your Thunder amplifi er at the predetermined mounting location. Use a felt pen to mark the exact position
of the mounting holes on the mounting surface. Set the amplifi er aside. Then with a sharp, precise blade cut
small circles in the carpet and padding around the four marks denoting your mounting holes to expose the
metal underneath. Use a center punch to make an indentation in the metal to ensure that you drill the exact
position for the screws.
Note: Please use common sense and make sure that all vehicle wires, gas lines, brake lines, etc. are clear and will
not interfere with the installation. ALWAYS WEAR PROPER SAFETY GLASSES.
Connections
1. Bi-Level Inputs (Low/High Level Input) with Smart Engage™ –
Both a low and high level signal can be used. Be sure to lay the signal wire away from all power cables and
vehicle computers. Use high quality twisted pair interconnect cables to decrease the possibility of radiated
noise entering the system.
• Using RCA Connections: If the source unit has RCA outputs, simply attach a signal cable from source unit to
the amp’s RCA input. This will provide signal to the amp.
• Using Speaker Level Connections: If the source unit does not have RCA outputs, a high level signal can be
used instead by taking the supplied high level RCA adapter cables and connecting the bare wire ends to the
vehicle’s rear speaker wiring. Connect the left negative speaker wire to the green with black stripe wire on the
supplied high level RCA adapter. Connect the left positive speaker wire to the solid green wire. Do the same
for the right speaker connection using the purple wire. Now plug the RCA connectors into the amp’s inputs.
2. Speaker Wire Connections – When installing the speaker wires, please take proper measures to protect them.
For example, when connecting the door speakers, the speaker wire should run from the amplifi er’s output
terminals, under the carpet, and through the factory rubber boot (loom) that protects the wires in the inner
door jam. If the factory boot cannot be used, take other measures to protect these wires. Sometimes the door
has to be completely removed to use the factory boot. If this is something that you do not feel comfortable
doing, please ask a professional to help you.
When connecting the speaker wires to the amplifi er please observe the printed polarity markings on the
amplifi er’s StreetWires connector. Failing to wire the speakers in proper phase could result in a loss of bass
response and/or poor overall sound quality.
These amps will have two PARALLEL speaker terminals, a positive and negative for a single woofer and
OPTIONAL second set of positive and negative terminals for a two woofer confi guration. These amps can
drive a minimum of a 1 ohm load.
• Strapping Two Amps: Strapping two Thunder TA92001 amplifi ers together has never been easier. When two
Thunder TA92001 amplifi ers are strapped, you can expect power output in excess of 8,000 watts and a total
current draw of around 600 amps. Please see Power Terminals for suggested electrical system upgrades.
To successfully link the two amplifi ers together you will have to follow the steps below carefully. The following
information will explain how to confi gure each amplifi er so one becomes the “positive” (Push) amplifi er and
the other becomes the “negative” (Pull) amplifi er. Just follow the steps below and you will be on your way to
massive amounts of power.